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Man Woke From Three Month Coma To Discover He Was Going To Be A Dad

Man Woke From Three Month Coma To Discover He Was Going To Be A Dad

He thought he had 'man-flu' but had to be put into a coma to save his life

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

A dad woke from a three-month coma to discover he was going to have a baby daughter.

Joseph Cullen, 29, thought he just had 'man flu' before he was collapsed and was paralysed head-to-toe by an immune disorder that attacked his brain.

Doctors decided to put him in an induced coma for three months in a bid to save his life.

Joseph Cullen was put into an induced coma.
SWNS

His girlfriend, Billie Smith, also 29, had found out she was pregnant just two days before he was put in a coma, but she kept it from him, planning to tell him when he felt better.

Unfortunately she didn't get the chance, and waited for him to come out of his coma, even fearing at one point that she wouldn't get to tell him the news.

When Billie was four months pregnant, Joseph finally woke up and she told him the good news.

Joseph Cullen and his girlfriend Billie Smith.
SWNS

Joseph was still unable to move, but nurses set up equipment at his bedside for Billie's 20 week scan so the couple could find out the sex of their baby together.

He is still in hospital and wasn't able to attend the birth of baby Poppy, but after six months he regained use of his arms to hold her for the first time.

Father-of-three Joseph, a computer programmer from Derby said 'miracle' Poppy is pushing him to learn to walk again.

He said: "Billie said to me 'it's a good job you're awake because I'm pregnant'. I was stunned. I was already in disbelief at my condition and the position I found myself in.

Joseph couldn't be at the birth of Poppy.
SWNS

"It was the best news I could have wished for. It's like she is a miracle baby because she could have been left without a dad.

"Poppy is the one good thing to come out of this whole experience. She gives me the strength to get better. All of the kids have."

Billie added: "His reaction was just amazing when I told him he was going to be a dad again. He could only move his lips but I could see he was dead excited.

"I never thought I would get that moment. I genuinely thought he was going to die. He has proved everyone wrong."

The family together.
SWNS

Joseph started experiencing flu symptoms, tiredness and migraines in late March 2018, and spent three days in bed, hoping it was just a bad cold. But he collapsed and was rushed to hospital where his condition deteriorated.

His legs were paralysed, his brain swelled and doctors carried out MRI scans and blood tests, ruling out meningitis and an infection of the brain and spinal cord.

Billie added: "Physio have taught him to live within his means. We are hopeful he'll make a full recovery.

"It's taken since August to get to this point but he still can't walk. I can't wait for us to be at home as a family. The children need their dad. I don't want the children to associate their dad with a phone screen or a hospital bed. We need him home."

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: uk news, News